Business View Magazine | May 2019

112 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 with about 8,600 feet, which would allow us to entertain among the largest of their fire-fighting aircraft – a DC-10. They could operate with full fuel and full retardant out of our field with 8,600 feet. “So, that’s what I’m trying to sell, right now - that, along with the one I already brought up, which is the parallel runway. I believe if we go in that direction, with the concurrence of the FAA to move forward on either of those, that will set the stage for the fill-out of the rest of the raw land that’s at the Airport. Right now, we have a considerable amount of land, but until those changes are made, I think it’s going to be difficult to attract new business, because the easiest-to- develop land is on the east side of the Airport and that’s where all the changes would be. And so, it’s difficult to entice people to make investments over there, when there could be a runway put right through the middle of their project.” In order to get those proposed changes made, Garrett says he would have to convince the FAA to increase the amount of the Airport’s funding. “Like every other airport, we are beholden to the FAA for our share of discretionary money,” he says. “Based on our size, we’re only getting slightly over the million dollars a year minimum. But I think if you look at where Redding is, strategically - we’re the furthest north on the I-5 corridor before you get into Oregon - I think that we can increase our prominence significantly with the right facilities. I think that debate will prevail with the FAA and I’m hoping that we would see some good discretionary funding from them.” Meanwhile, Garrett says that some more immediate projects currently in the design stage should be implemented over the next 12-24 months. They include the reconstruction of a taxiway and the blast pad on the approach of runway 16/34. “Along with that, we’re due a surface rejuvenation on both runways,” he adds. “Even though I want to end up pulverizing runway 12/30, the intersecting shorter runway, until the FAA buys off on that, I have to maintain it to standards. The FAA requires a life of at least three years. So, if we chose to do the new runway, which would start off with an environmental assessment, it